March 1, 2019

MOBILE OFFICE STOP

In the Third District, I have offices located in Rogers, Fort Smith, and Harrison. But I understand that many constituents aren't able – or don't have the time – to travel to the nearest office. That's why I am sending my office to YOU!  Come to my Mobile Office and allow my staff to assist you in your own town.

Van Buren Mobile Office Stop 
Tuesday, March 5, 2019, from 11:00AM - 1:00PM CT 
Van Buren Senior Activity Center  
18 Lafayette Street 
Van Buren, Arkansas 72956

Questions? Call my Fort Smith office for more information at (479) 424-1146. Please note that additional mobile office hours are scheduled throughout the district and will be announced in the coming weeks.

WEEK IN REVIEW

To start off this week's From the Front...I would like to thank all of the Arkansans who stopped by my Washington office during their visits to our nation’s capital, including Sammy and Brenda Hassen of Fort Smith and the Jones family of Springdale. Safe travels back to the Natural State!

On Monday, the House came back into session – which started another busy week filled with votes, meetings, and hearings. There were some big votes on the floor, including the consideration of H.J.Res. 46 – which would nullify President Trump’s emergency declaration regarding the humanitarian and security crisis on our southern border, as well as H.R. 8 and H.R. 1112 – misguided legislation that would infringe on the Second Amendment and fails to address the root causes of violence. 

Democrats continue to try and undermine the work being done to secure our borders. This week, they voted to overturn President Trump’s national emergency declaration. The humanitarian and security crisis on our southern border must be addressed, and I support President Trump’s effort to protect our nation. It is sad that House Democrats, in their quest to deny the President any semblance of accomplishment on an issue this serious, have resorted to political games. It is telling that these same Democrats are anxious to spend money on socialist programs yet will ignore the constitutional mandate to secure our nation’s borders. We must ensure a strong, safe, and secure border.

We all want to prevent mass gun violence and ensure the safety of Americans, but H.R. 8 and H.R. 1112 unfortunately wouldn’t do that. So, what do these bills do? They would turn law-abiding citizens into criminals and hamper the ability of people to defend themselves. Democrats also blocked attempts to exclude domestic violence victims from additional burdens to access firearms for self-defense. That makes no sense.

Trying to erode the Second Amendment rights of responsible Arkansans and Americans will not stop senseless acts of violence. Further, it has been shown that no elements of these policies would have prevented previous incidents of mass violence, like the tragedies in Parkland, Las Vegas, or Pulse Night Club in Orlando. These policies won’t make anyone safer and represent a missed opportunity to implement real solutions that prevent violence and save lives. You might not be aware, but Republicans introduced the Mass Violence Prevention Act (MVP) of 2019, which would address failures in law enforcement coordination and response, reduce the flow of firearms on the black market, and increase resources to prosecute and prevent gun violence. 

Other bills voted on include the PIRATE Act (H.R. 583), Poison Center Network Enhancement Act of 2019 (H.R. 501), Strengthening the Health Care Fraud Prevention Task Force Act of 2019 (H.R. 525), Innovators to Entrepreneurs Act of 2019 (H.R. 539), Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act (H.R. 425), the Recognizing Achievement in Classified School Employees Act (H.R. 276), and the MSPB Temporary Term Extension Act (H.R. 1235). A full list of legislation considered this week can be found here.

BUDGET HEARING

This week, the House Budget Committee held a hearing on the Tax Cut and Jobs Act to analyze the impact the law has had on American families and businesses. The law delivered much-needed tax relief to workers, families, and businesses – unleashing job creation, investment, and economic growth. Unfortunately, some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle made it clear that they are looking for ways to reverse the reforms and increase taxes on hardworking Americans – all so that they can pay for more expensive, government-run programs.

Interestingly, the Democratic witnesses for the hearing included bureaucrats and academics – while the Republicans welcomed Lana Pol, a 2nd-generation family business owner. As the only witness who has actually created jobs, Ms. Pol talked about how tax reform provided relief that allowed her to invest in her employees and businesses. Read more about tax reform and the hearing here.

MEETINGS 

I had great meetings with Arkansans and organizations throughout the week. In between legislative business, I attended an important roundtable on housing programs. As a member of the House Appropriations Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee, I appreciated getting additional insight and information on housing and infrastructure needs. I then met with Athena and Anthony Davis of Pottsville, who are part of the American Academy of Neurology, as well as representatives from the University of Arkansas for Medical Services, to discuss drug pricing, disease research, and cures development. 

I also had the privilege of welcoming veterans from Arkansas’s Third District. Members of the American Legion stopped in to discuss the VA’s suicide prevention efforts, Agent Orange challenges, and flag desecration issues. Shortly after, I sat down with Arkansans from the Disabled American Veterans organization to talk about veteran healthcare, education, and resources. I thank them for their time, but more importantly I salute their service to our great nation.

I then joined United Through Reading (UTR) to recognize a great military family. UTR is an amazing program that gives deployed parents the opportunity to record themselves reading stories aloud for their children back home. It’s an organization that makes a difference in the lives of those who serve, and I am proud to support them. I had the honor of meeting the Chase family, who has used the program during multiple deployments. To Lauren, Cami, Caitlyn, McKenna, and Conner – we salute you for your sacrifice, and we thank your brave dad for keeping America safe. God bless our military families!

Following this great event, I sat down with General Joseph Lengyel of the National Guard, members of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry from Rogers, Entergy, the Arkansas Educational Television Network, and a great group of Arkansan National Guardsmen and women.

Today, I am in Forth Smith! I spent the morning talking to students from Sunnymede Elementary School. These children will one day lead our country, and I loved being able to speak with them about education and service. They were an engaging and inquisitive group – I think I might have even seen some future congressional representatives in the crowd. I thank the students, teachers, and faculty for allowing me to stop in!

I then headed over to Greenwood High School to recognize Isaiah Belue who officially signed his appointment papers to attend the U.S. Naval Academy. Isaiah will head to Annapolis after graduation, and I am extremely proud of his work and accomplishments. To earn a nomination and full admission to a service academy, one must reflect the values expected of our service members: strength, respect and courage. Isaiah’s patriotism and commitment to serving our country is honorable, and I know his future is without limit. AR-3 is extremely proud!

I wrapped up the day with a tour at Silgan Plastic Food Containers. The facility recently invested millions of dollars in Forth Smith and is expected to provide hundreds of new jobs in the area. It was great to see the behind-the-scenes process and talk with employees and leadership. Manufacturing is a key engine that powers innovation and economic growth in our state – the success of the Silgan company is a great example of that!

Tomorrow, I will be at the Fayetteville Public Library expansion groundbreaking and then will head back to Washington next week for legislative business. Remember to keep an eye on my website or check out my Twitter and Instagram pages to stay up-to-date with the latest news from the Third District and Washington. 

From the front...

Congressman Steve Womack
Arkansas Third District